Compression gear, alternatively termed compression wear or compression clothing, encompasses snug attire usually crafted from elastic materials. These garments exert pressure on different body parts, aiming to offer support, boost blood circulation, and elevate athletic performance and recovery. Athletes frequently incorporate compression gear into their training and competitive activities, but it has also become popular among individuals participating in various physical pursuits. In this blog, we will discuss the benefits of using compression garments for various sports and activities.
What is the science behind compression wear?
Compression wear utilizes pressure to move lymphatic fluid, which prevents its accumulation and aids its return to the circulatory system. This simple principle of physics enhances the body's intricate circulatory mechanics. This profoundly impacts the blood circulation and lymphatic drainage. This is truly fascinating and highly beneficial.
Compression Garments Advantages
Now that we know that wearing compression garments improves our blood circulation and reduces pain and swelling, let us learn what other benefits compression garments have in store!
- Improves endurance, strength, and power - wearing compression garments helps your body during workouts or physical activities by providing support. It acts as a brace when worn and helps sustain a high load. Professional athletes wear these such as basketball because actions like jumping can develop joint pressure. Each step while running exerts the body weight on the legs, compression garments indeed help your body during intense workouts.
- Helps protect against wind and elements - compression garments can also regulate body temperature by trapping heat close to the skin and improving comfort during workouts. It also reduces irritation if your workout clothes are made of traditional fabrics when rubbed against the skin. Compression wear can also be an additional layer of protection from cold weather conditions when exercising outdoors.
- Saves energy - according to people who are actively engaging in physical activities, wearing compression wear has less fatigue. This is because wearing these creates less vibration and, as a result, reduces lactic acid buildup. This allows one to put less energy into doing any task.
What to do when choosing the right compression gear?
Nowadays, wearing compression wear has become a trend and a staple in fitness apparel worldwide. From amateur to professional athletes, compression garments are incorporated into their workout routines.
Compression wear is equivalent to modern fitness attire, as they call it today. These are made with elastic materials, like spandex, and are engineered to apply gentle pressure on the muscles they cover.
There are main types of compression garments including sleeves, socks, leggings, shorts, and shirts, each targeting different body parts.
Types of Compression Gear
- Sleeves - are often worn on arms or legs, these provide targeted compression to specific muscle groups (arm, elbow, knee, and calf). Some of the benefits of wearing compression sleeves are increased muscle oxygenation, muscle support, and it provides skin protection.
Are there any recovery benefits of compression sleeves? YES, there are! Many experts claim that wearing compression sleeves reduces muscle damage, pain and inflammation, soreness, and fatigue and leads to a faster return to functional performance.
- Socks and Stockings - are designed for the feet and legs, they are popular among runners and other endurance sports
- Shorts - offer compression around the thigh and groin area, preferably in sports requiring extensive leg movement
- Shirts - cover the torso, often used in upper-body intensive sports or for posture support
- Leggings/Tights - provide compression along the entire leg, they are a common choice for a range of activities, from yoga to long-distance running
Compression gear for different sports
Let us find out what kind of compression wear should you use when playing the following sports:
- Basketball - compression tights or leggings, sleeves, and jersey clothing are the most commonly used since you will be using your arms and legs. There are three main types of thighs players use and are based on their preferences:
- Full-Length Basketball Tights
- ¾ Length Basketball Tights
- Padded Basketball Tights
Why do basketball players wear compression tights and sleeves? We use the NBA season as an example, it is long and exhausting that requires a lot of physical effort they should keep an eye on their bodies with wear and tear.
- Volleyball - Much like basketball, one must wear compression sleeves, shorts, and thighs for additional support, mobility, and ventilation, and to prevent muscle fatigue.
- Running - Compression gear for runners are compression shorts, tights, sleeves, and socks. Compression socks are ideal for recovery as they prevent blood from piling in the foot and ankle.
Athlete's guide to compression wear
Here is something that might be helpful for aspiring athletes. Take note of this guide to compression wear that assists you whenever you do physical activities.
- Compression Shorts - usually made of polyester and nylon, which was mixed with spandex, lycra, or elastane. The blending of these fabrics produces a tight and stretchy feel and look.
- Compression Shirts and Long Sleeves - you can use them as outerwear or you can layer them for extra protection and coverage.
- Compression Rash Guards - slightly looser in fit and are designed to protect the skin with anti-chafing and UV protection.
- Compression sports bras - are designed to provide appropriate support to the chest area, which helps to reduce movement and enhance the overall level of comfort.
- Compression Tights/Leggings - are skin-tight and aim to put pressure on waistbands, glutes, quads, and calves. These are also good for layering with shorts.
- Compression Shorts - are tight and have a supportive fit. These are designed to reduce muscle strain, increase blood flow and circulation, and enhance performance. These are ideal for cycling and combat sports like MMA. Compression shorts can be layered as well.
- Compression Socks - are stretchy and help reduce swelling in the feet, legs, and calves. Compression socks vary from different lengths and this depends on the physical activities you are doing. These are generally tighter around the ankle and looser up the leg and can be worn for all types of exercise.
How does compression gear benefits for the following points? Let's find out!
Compression gear and injury prevention
Not only is compression wear stylish and follows fashion trends, but it can also help active people prevent injuries effectively. Compression gear stabilizes and supports, they act as braces to support and stabilize muscles and joints, preventing you from injuries caused by stretching and stress.
Compression wear prevents blisters, specifically, compression socks. These may have padded parts and made out of high-tech fibers that focus on where blisters usually occur and keep your feet dry.
Compression wear regulates your body temperature while making you comfortable while doing physical activities. Colder temperature causes muscles to contract, resulting in vulnerability that would make your muscles wear and tear. While in hotter temperatures, you might get heat strokes while doing exercise, that's why wearing compression wear effectively controls your body temperature, diminishing the risk of injury.
Lastly, compression wear helps in reducing muscle oscillation. To quickly check on the term, muscle oscillation refers to the vibrations that ripple throughout your body as your foot hits the ground. Wearing compression gear helps limit these vibrations, preventing you from muscle strains and stresses.
Muscle recovery with compression gear
Studies show that wearing compression gear contributes to muscle recovery. One of the points that are mentioned in this blog is improved blood circulation. It also aids by decreasing muscle fatigue resulting in enhanced muscle function.
Improved circulation through compression wear
We cannot stress enough how beneficial having and wearing compression gear to all physical activities you do with improved circulation. Improved blood flow delivers fresh oxygen to muscles and removes waste to the kidneys. Having good waste management leads to faster recovery time, feeling less sore when working out, and overall improved tissue health.
Enhanced endurance with compression clothing
This allows athletes and active people to maximize their performance and improve endurance in the long run. Compression clothing and exercise performance speed up the process of muscle regeneration after exercise.
Now that we know what are the compression gear benefits like the compression technology in sportswear and reducing muscle soreness with compression apparel. One more thing before we end this blog is another piece of performance-enhancing compression gear that you can add to your list which is the Ankle Wrap - MDUB offers Ankle Wraps that provide compression that can be used to prevent swelling, which can help your ankle feel better.
We hope you learn a lot from this blog. Check out more on our website.